Liz Truss: South West Norfolk constituents on what new PM's priorities should be

Liz Truss, the MP for South West Norfolk since 2010, has won the Conservative Party leadership race and become the UK's latest prime minister. What do her constituents think her priorities should be?

Truss, who first entered Parliament with a comfortable majority of more than 13,000, will officially assume the top role when she visits the Queen in Balmoral later for an invitation to form her government.

The BBC has been to Thetford, a town she represents, to ask what her constituents think she needs to focus on first, what are they most concerned about and how she can solve the UK's problems.

Michael Amis, 60, who has lived in Thetford for 44 years, says that Truss "needs to be herself, not another Margaret Thatcher".

He feels the most important issue at the moment is the cost of living crisis which has "got to be sorted".

"The profits the big energy companies are making, quite frankly, is disgusting," he says.

"We need to invest more in alternative sources of energy... you've got wind power, wave power, it's a massive investment but if we want to have a future it's the sort of things we need to look at.

"Everything's going up, I'm lucky I've only got two years left in on my mortgage but people who are just starting out their mortgage payments are going to be absolutely ridiculous."

Mr Amis says that while local issues are still important, as prime minister she must deal with the national issues first.

Ice-cream man, Anwar Noor, 60, has lived in Thetford for nearly 40 years and says he hopes she returns to the constituency soon.

"Good luck to her, she'll be good for us hopefully, we have seen her over here... she will be busy for a while but she will look back in her own town… it will take time but it should be alright," he says.

"She has a very hard task on her hands."

Debbie Smith, 39, a lab technician and mother of two who is currently on maternity leave wants the new prime minister to deal with the cost of energy.

"Especially living in an older house with the gas, yeah that's going to be a killer for us I think," she says.

"We're going to have to tighten the belts on everything but we'll get through it, we'll do it."

Labour councillor, Chris Harvey, says he is "horrified" about Truss becoming prime minister.

"I didn't expect a lot else though because they don't need a new leader, we need a new government," he says.

• A quick guide to Liz Truss
• Liz Truss: From teenage Lib Dem to Tory PM
• Seven big questions now facing Liz Truss

The town and district councillor for Burrell ward in Thetford says the area he represents is one of the most deprived areas in Norfolk.

"It is not good for the future of Britain," he says.

"She has no idea what the working person goes through, her idea it's fair for the poor to pay as much tax as the rich is outdated, it's just horrifying, I'm not looking forward to it at all.

"But theoretically, it could be good for us, coming two years up to the election, because we could win it again."

The campaigns and media officer at STOPAIDS, Jake Atkinson, admits it is not a coincidence that he was visiting Thetford on the day Liz Truss was announced as the new Tory leader

Campaigning in support of the global fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, he says he was with campaigners in the constituency to show the grassroots "really care about tackling global health inequalities".

"We've just started a timer here today to mark every minute passing since Liz Truss has been announced as PM," he says.

"Every minute today, a life is lost to AIDS related illnesses, a child dies from malaria, at least two people die from tuberculosis so these pandemics have not gone away despite global goals to eradicate them by 2030.

"At the upcoming global fund replenishment, Liz Truss will have a chance to make a bold pledge to ensure we can get the global response back on track."

• The 2011 census shows Thetford as having a population of about 24,000
• Thetford and the surrounding area is the earliest settlement in Norfolk with evidence that there was much activity in the area during the Neolithic period
• It was a main stopping point on the coaching road from London
• It is the 1737 birthplace of the 18th Century American political activist, Thomas Paine, whose thinking encouraged American independence and the abolition of slavery
• The popular BBC TV series Dad's Army was filmed around Thetford and a museum celebrating the series is in the old fire station

Source: Norfolk-Norwich.com

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]